An Interview with Alan Sklar, co-founder, BGreen Foods
In today’s day and age, a gluten-free lifestyle is growing in popularity. Even if we aren’t required to eliminate it from our diet for health reasons, many of us are choosing to. (In the USA, this number tripled between 2009 and 2014 according to the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine). To learn more, we spoke to Alan Sklar, one of the founders of BGreen Food, a producer of 100% organic, non-GMO, naturally gluten-free foods since 2012. What triggered your interest in gluten-free and organic foods? I’m celiac myself. That’s how it all came about. I couldn’t find good tasting food that was good for me. I realized that a lot the food we consume contains added sugar and is filled with corn. I wanted good food that was non-GMO, non-artificial and healthy. [Wondering what’s wrong with corn? It’s starchy food that’s high in cellulose, a fiber that is difficult to digest. Due to its high glycemic index, it can cause intense blood sugar spikes, which can ultimately make a person feel more hungry]. Would you recommend gluten-free foods to anyone? Or only people with intolerances? Yes. Try going gluten-free for two weeks and let your body tell you how you feel. You’ll find articles that discourage a gluten-free diet if you are not Celiac because of a loss of nutrients. This isn’t true. [There are many gluten-free grains including quinoa and buckwheat that are a great source of protein and fibre]. Be sure to read the labels, as not all gluten-free foods are created equal. I recommend avoiding those with added sugar and fat. How do you ensure you’re sourcing the highest quality food? Most farms that we source from are in very rural areas, far from anything else. The reason for this is because there’s a reduced risk of contamination. Most people aren’t aware that most of the corn in USA is genetically modified. If Monstanto has a farm down the street, who is teaching the birds and bees not to migrate from toxic fertilized crops to migrate to organic crops? I take aerial photos of the products we’re using to make sure they are not cross contaminating with toxic substances. Can you tell us about the farms you source from? We have a really wonderful relationship with a farm in northern China near the Russian border. It’s located near the longest river in China, in a very rural area. That river feeds minerals to a beautiful mountaintop where our black rice is grown. It’s cultivated by hand with wicker baskets, without the use of machinery. The farmers have the utmost respect for the rice and their ancestors that originally planted it. Once they accidentally spilt some grain but refused to proceed until they had retrieved it all. The way in which they cultivate and harvest rice has been passed down from generation to generation. This family and farm really care about what they do. You don’t get that in this kind of world. I’ve never seen black rice look as beautiful as it does when it comes from this farm. It’s like every grain is sparkling. We’ve tried to source this rice from elsewhere but we always find it’s got a brown, white or red tinge. It’s not as pristine as this rice. 
You offer a few different types of pasta. What’s your best seller and why? Since 2012 we’ve been offering five types of pasta (and black rice). The best seller would have to be the buckwheat pasta. It contains 12 grams of plant protein per serving, which is very important to vegetarians. It’s like eating one hard-boiled egg. Body builders love it, as well as vegans and vegetarians that are looking for more plant protein. 
For those that haven’t tried black rice pasta, can you tell us a bit about it? What makes it black? Black rice is black due to the heavy concentration of minerals it contains. It accounts for approximately 10 per cent of the rice grown in the world. It’s known as the “forbidden rice”, as centuries ago it was reserved for Chinese royalty only. Nobody else could eat it. It takes us two weeks to turn black rice into black rice pasta. That’s how long it should take but I’ve heard of some companies cutting corners and only making the pasta in 20 minutes. We invest the proper time and energy to create a high quality product. We are required to test for carcinogens three times to ensure the product doesn’t arsenic. We’ve been able to craft a product that contains 100 times less than what’s allowed by FDA standards. What product can you not live without? I would say the black rice and buckwheat pasta. Our black rice pudding recipe is really popular. It’s vegan and is made with coconut milk, vanilla, orange zest and coconut sugar. What sets you apart from other organic food companies? Our dedication to knowing that our products are gluten free, non-GMO and organic. We don’t deviate from that at all. A lot of companies have two or three gluten free or organic products to offer but the rest are full of sugar. We are fully committed to only offering 100% organic, non-GMO, naturally gluten free foods. Our products are rich in nutrients and are flavorful. That combination is hard to find. We’re fortunate enough to produce food that people thrive on. They literally feel the energy of eating pure buckwheat products, compared to something else. I’m proud of what we produce and how clean the food is. What’s coming down the pipeline for BGreen? There is a black bean pasta that we are looking at creating. Stay tuned for more details! How do you see the health food industry evolving and what role will BGreen play? My ambition is to make organic, gluten-free, non-GMO foods mainstream and priced right. I don’t want people to think these are hippie herbal foods. I want them to know that they taste great and they feel great when they eat them. These days we eat so many foods that are GMO and are very processed. A lot of people go through life without being aware of why they have migraines or why they have bloating. These are minor issues in this day and age but they are often related to what we put in our body. People don’t realize that they don’t need to eat as much when they eat nutrient-rich foods, compared to empty calories. Be sure to read the labels on packaging so you know what you’re eating. Interested in trying BGreen Food? View the selection.